A Debt Repaid
by Deana
Summary: A playful act of 'revenge' causes Legolas to accidentally go missing, and if he isn't found immediately, his death will result.
1. Stupid Dwarves!

**A Debt Repaid**  
A Lord of the Rings story by Deana Lisi  
Disclaimer: I don't own Legolas or any other LOTR character.  
A huge hannon le to my dear gwathel Karri for providing me with this story plot!

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"Did you ever think this day would come?"

Legolas shook his head, looking up at the ceiling as if pleading to a higher power for mercy. "Never, mellon-nin."

Aragorn chuckled as he ate, watching the herd—you couldn't call them anything else—of dwarves that shared their table. He and Legolas had traveled to the Glittering Caves on Gimli's invitation, to strike a trade agreement. They'd headed to Lake Town after that, on route to Mirkwood. A group of dwarves were journeying to the floating city themselves, and decided to accompany them. They were a friendly bunch, and two dwarves in particular had shown fascination and great interest when they found out that Legolas was the son of King Thranduil. They stayed near the elf through most of the journey, talking with him quite animatedly.

"I am not sure if it is a good or bad thing that Gimli is not here also," said Legolas.

Just then, one of the dwarves laughed heartily at something that one of the others said, before belching loudly.

"He is with them in spirit!" said Aragorn.

Legolas laughed at that, finishing his drink. He never noticed his two new dwarf friends watching him slyly.

A few minutes later, Aragorn looked up to speak to his friend, but saw with surprise that Legolas' chin had fallen down to his chest. "Legolas?"

The elf gave a start, abruptly sitting up straight.

Aragorn's eyebrows shot up. "You were asleep! Are you all right?"

Legolas blinked, confused. "I was? I must be tired."

Aragorn nodded. "I would say so, my friend. Does something ail you?" he asked worriedly, knowing that it was impossible for an elf to fall ill, but also knowing that an elf did not fall asleep at dinner for no apparent reason.

Legolas shook his head. "No, nothing."

Aragorn could see by his friend's confusion that he was telling the truth, and he wondered if perhaps the elf had been staying awake on their journey at night keeping an eye on the dwarves. "Mayhap you should retire to bed."

Legolas nodded. "Aye, no doubt Jari and Bari will talk my ears off again tomorrow."

Aragorn nodded, with a smile. The two dwarves were brothers, and quite an amusing pair. "Sleep well."

"You also," the elf answered. He stood and bid goodnight to the dwarves before leaving, and neither he nor Aragorn saw Jari and Bari shoot each other excited expressions.

Legolas yawned as he entered his room. He couldn't believe how exhausted he felt; he'd actually had to stop on the stairs and shake his head to clear the fog from it. He was glad that Aragorn had not been there to witness it, for he would surely have thought something wrong with him—and Legolas would not have blamed him.

Yawning again, Legolas shuffled to his bed, his eyes more closed than open. He felt like his consciousness was being forcefully taken from him, and he plopped down on his bed. Alarm filled his mind, for he knew that this was not normal, but before he could figure out what to do, his consciousness suddenly fled.

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Bari and Jari watched as Legolas left, and Bari—the elder brother—left a minute later, taking a different route so Aragorn wouldn't notice him following the elf.

Peeking around a corner, he saw Legolas standing halfway up the staircase. The elf shook his head, making his whole body sway.

The dwarf had to cover his mouth to hide a laugh as he slid back around the corner, not wanting to be spotted. He listened as Legolas climbed the rest of the steps—slowly, he noticed—and he climbed them himself, following the elf until Legolas disappeared into his room. The Mirkwood Prince's mind was so muddled that he didn't fully close the door, and Bari watched as Legolas collapsed on the bed.

Tiptoe-ing into the room, Bari approached the bed, noting the elf's completely-closed eyes. "Legolas?" he said.

He got no reply.

"Elf!" he said louder, shaking his arm.

Nothing.

Trying not to laugh again, he tiptoe-ran out the door and carefully closed it, grinning ear-to-ear as he ran down the staircase and back into the Inn's dining room, where he sat beside his brother.

"Well?" Jari whispered.

"He's out like a dead orc!" Bari whispered back.

Jari snorted into his mug, ignoring the ale that spilled into his brown beard. "Aragorn has been watching the direction that Legolas went in," he said, gesturing to the human. "I think that he wants to check on him."

Bari nodded. "Aye, I noticed his concern when the elf fell asleep at the table!"

Jari downed the rest of his drink. "We must hurry, then!"

Bari nodded, and the two dwarves left, taking the same back route that Bari had taken earlier. They dashed up the stairs as fast as their short legs could go and ran into Legolas' room, finding the elf exactly where he'd passed out.

"Hurry!" said Bari. "We need to make it look like he went to bed!"

Together, they shifted Legolas' body and covered him with the blanket.

"What about his eyes?" said Jari. "They're closed! Aragorn will know something is wrong with him when he sees that!"

"Well, open them, then!" said Bari.

Jari made a face, reaching over to comply.

Bari chuckled as he watched, and they were both surprised when the elf's eyes remained open.

Jari waved his hand before Legolas' face, nervously wondering if he'd woken.

The sudden sound of a soft knock met their ears, and a whispered, "Legolas?"

The dwarves panicked; Bari grabbed Jari and dove under the bed.

Aragorn quietly opened the door, walking silently to the bed. He was relieved to see his friend's eyes open in sleep, and his nerves calmed. Checking his friend's pulse, he found it slow but steady, and concluded that Legolas really was just very tired. He still thought it odd, for an elf, but Legolas appeared fine, so he left the room as quietly as he had entered.

One dwarf, and then the other popped their heads out, listening as the human walked down the hall and into his own room.

"Go get the rope!" Bari told his brother.

Jari obeyed, hurrying to his room and bringing it back. They tied it under the elf's arms and lifted him, surprised at how light Legolas was. They carried him over to the window and opened it, carefully guiding the limp elf through and lowering him to the ground below.

Suddenly, though, the rope slipped from Jari's hands and Bari was pulled forward as Legolas' dead weight proved too much for one small dwarf…they both gasped at the sound of a sudden thump.

"We dropped him!" Jari exclaimed, hands over his mouth in shock.

Bari looked out the window, seeing the unconscious elf lying on the ground. "I do not think he fell far," he said, remembering how far he'd been yanked forward by the pull of the rope. "Only about five feet or so."

Jari sighed; half relieved, half horrified.

"Come!" Bari said, throwing the rope out and closing the window.

Leaving the room, they ran outside and grabbed a wheelbarrow that they'd hidden behind the building. Bringing it to Legolas, they nervously checked him for broken bones. Relieved when they found none, they placed him in the wheelbarrow.

Glad that it was dark, they maneuvered it—with difficulty—to the waters of Long Lake, where a large barrel floated, tied to a tree.

Unable to stop himself, Jari laughed as they pulled the barrel to shore and removed the cover.

"There is still flour inside!" Bari exclaimed.

"I tried to get it all out," said Jari.

Bari shrugged and they took hold of Legolas, pulling him out of the wheelbarrow and sliding him into the barrel.

"He is too tall," said Jari.

"Stuff him in!" said Bari. "It does not matter; we will come back at dawn and let him out when he wakes!"

Jari nodded and they shoved the elf inside before replacing the cover and looping the rope around it. Finished, they pushed it back into the water and watched as it bobbed helplessly.

Looking at each other, the two dwarves burst out laughing.

"We've done it!" said Jari.

"Indeed we have!" said Bari. "Finally, we have our revenge on Thranduil! Let us see how the King's son enjoys floating in a barrel the way that our father had to!"

Laughing again, they headed back to the Inn.

The night passed slowly for the dwarves, who took turns staying awake, lest they sleep past dawn and Legolas suffer in the barrel longer then necessary. They felt no malice towards the elf; even their father, who'd been imprisoned by King Thranduil so long ago, laughed at the incident where he and his fellow dwarves had escaped the Mirkwood dungeon in floating barrels.

When light began to fill the sky, the two dwarves quickly made their way to the floating barrel, but what they found shocked them even more than dropping the elf out the window had—

The barrel was gone.

Jari gave an exclamation of alarm and ran over to the tree…the only clue of the barrel's whereabouts being the broken rope that lay on the shore.

TBC

ROTFL! I can see the headlines now! "Missing: one blond-haired elf. Last seen floating down a lake in a flour barrel." (hides) LOL! I must truly say that I'm amazed that a few readers who saw my preview figured out that he was in a barrel. Of course, mention of Thranduil imprisoning dwarves that later escaped in barrels came from The Hobbit.


	2. No Way Out

A painful jerk suddenly woke Legolas, who gave a gasp and opened his eyes. He felt extremely groggy, and it took a minute or two for him to realize that he was cramped in a very small area, and that he was somehow in motion.

Alarm filled him and he tried to move, before realizing that it was completely impossible. Fear from the disorienting situation increased his heartbeat, and he looked around frantically, trying to make sense of it. "Aragorn!" he yelled. He got no answer, and tried to shift his body again, now becoming aware of the painful headache that gripped his skull. He groaned, halting his movements and closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself, before reopening his eyes and studying his surroundings again. His mind was completely unable to comprehend what he saw. _A barrel? _he realized. "How did I get in a barrel!" he exclaimed aloud.

Suddenly, he collided with something again and gasped. His head spun, and he had the sensation that his body had literally turned around. It was then that the sound of lapping water met his ears. When he realized that his barrel was floating down a lake, panic understandably gripped him.

"Help!" he shouted. "Help!" Something that felt like powder suddenly shot down his throat, causing a coughing fit. It was just as hard to cough as it was to shift his body, because of his cramped position. It made his eyes water, and since it was too dark to see, he had no idea what the substance was that was in the barrel with him. Fear gripped him at the thought that it could be some terrible poison.

Legolas gasped once more when the barrel again struck something—whether a rock or the shore, he couldn't tell. His entire body was aching, and he wondered how many collisions he had met with while unconscious…and how long he'd been in the barrel, floating down a river.

"Help!" he yelled once more, coughing again. He tried to free his hands from where they were trapped between his back and the wood, but only succeeding in freeing the left. His right arm was twisted quite uncomfortably, and he started banging on the barrel, trying to find a weak spot. The wood was very sturdy, so he banged on the end over his head. It didn't budge, and he couldn't twist his body in a way to reach the other end. _I'm trapped, _he thought. _There is no way out!_

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Aragorn woke abruptly at the sudden sound of frantic knocking. Jumping out of bed, he ran to the door and threw it open to find two very distressed dwarves standing there.

"Come with us!" Bari demanded. "We lost the elf!"

Aragorn blinked. "You_ lost_ him? How?"

"He's in a barrel, floating down Long Lake!" Jari exclaimed.

"He's _what_!" Aragorn sputtered, wondering if they were jesting.

The terrified expressions on the dwarves faces showed it to be quite real, so Aragorn rushed to change his nightclothes. "How did that happen!"

"Ah…no time to explain!" said Bari, afraid to tell him. "Hurry!"

Pulling on his boots, Aragorn grabbed his weapons and followed them out the door.

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Legolas tried to figure out who had done this to him—and _why_.

The last thing that he recalled was being exhausted and going up to his room. He remembered nothing after that, until waking to his current bizarre situation.

Light suddenly filled the barrel, and Legolas found a small hole over his head. He peered through it, seeing that dawn had risen, and he watched the trees pass him by. He was painfully jarred when the barrel struck something yet again, and he knew that if he survived this, he would be covered in bruises.

Sighing, he assessed his body to see if his unknown attackers had injured him. His head was throbbing, so he assumed that he'd been struck. His ribs were very sore, making him wonder if he'd also been kicked. He was having trouble breathing, thanks to his cramped position and whatever odd substance was in the barrel. He saw that it was white and lay mostly on the bottom, but he couldn't maneuver himself to touch it to see what it was.

Looking out the hole again, he suddenly wondered if any violence had come to Aragorn. The thought sent a stab of fear through his stomach. Was his friend likewise floating in a barrel? "Aragorn!" he shouted. "Aragorn?"

There was no answer.

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Legolas did the only thing that he _could_ do; he prayed.

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Meanwhile, Aragorn and the two dwarves road quickly along Long Lake. The dwarves shared a horse, hanging on for dear life while occasionally shooting nervous looks at the human.

The expression on Aragorn's face was a mix of anger and fear; anger at the dwarves—who'd told him what they'd done—and fear for Legolas, who could be dead for all they knew. Aragorn didn't speak to the dwarves, hardly caring at the moment if they fell off the horse that they had such trouble riding.

They'd ridden for an hour, not finding any sign of the elf. That was both a good sign and a bad one; debris from the barrel could mean that Legolas had been swept away and drowned—especially if he had been injured in the fall from the window. Aragorn couldn't believe that the dwarves had continued with their plan after they'd dropped him. They hadn't thought that Legolas might've hit his head—lack of blood or broken bones was all that they'd considered, and both dwarves felt like utter fools.

Not finding his friend after more than an hour terrified Aragorn, for they had no idea when the rope had broken. If Legolas had been floating down the lake for most of the night…

Sighing, Aragorn ran a hand over his face, spurring his horse on faster.

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Legolas had no idea how long he'd been in the barrel, but at the moment, he would gladly have given anything to get out of it; his right leg was gripped with the worst cramp he'd ever felt in his life. His right arm was still twisted awkwardly, all of his limbs had fallen asleep, and even worse—he desperately needed to visit the bath chamber. He'd been floating without incident for so long now, that he almost wished he'd crash again; mayhap the barrel would be damaged enough that he could break out of it.

As if the lake had read his mind, the barrel suddenly slammed into a rock, but rather than damage it, it knocked Legolas' forehead against the wood, knocking him into welcome oblivion.

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Aragorn was now worried out of his mind. Legolas' barrel had floated further than he'd hoped, and he knew that the elf was in extreme danger; there was a waterfall that separated Long Lake from the river, and if Legolas went over it in the barrel…

The dwarves had the same thought, perhaps, for they looked nearly as anxious as the human.

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Legolas wasn't unconscious for very long, though he had no way of knowing that. When he blinked his eyes open again, he was disoriented before remembering what had happened. Finding himself still in the barrel, he let out a cry of frustration before trying to move and groaning from the pain. He peered through the hole in the barrel, wishing that he could make it larger and get himself out of the cursed thing. _I am probably safer inside it, _he realized, knowing that he'd never be able to swim thanks to his severely cramped muscles.

Sighing, he tried to shift his position again, wincing when he still could not bring his arm around to the front of his body. There wasn't enough room to maneuver, and he gave up with another groan. He realized that his head was still throbbing, but it seemed easier to endure than the terrible muscle cramps. He wondered how long he'd been floating…and _where_ he was floating. _We were in Lake Town…_

Legolas gasped at the realization that he had to be floating down Long Lake. _How close am I to the waterfall? _he thought. Through his panicked thoughts, he suddenly became aware of another problem that nearly drove him to the edge of his sanity.

He had an itch that he could not reach.

Legolas squirmed, giving another frustrated groan. "Help!" he shouted.

TBC  
(hides from readers) lol


	3. Weeee!

Aragorn and the dwarves rode as fast as their horses could go. The waterfall wasn't very far ahead, and they were terrified that the elf had already gone over it.

"There it is!" Bari suddenly shouted.

Aragorn spurred his horse on faster, his heart nearly matching its speed. They caught up to the barrel and rode past it, hearing the loud, ominous sound of the huge waterfall, which the barrel had nearly reached.

Dismounting, Aragorn quickly ran to the edge, with the dwarves right beside him. He watched as the barrel got closer and he prepared to grab the rope that trailed behind it, but a sudden huge splash abruptly sprayed water in his face. Re-opening his eyes, he saw the two dwarves in the river, triumphantly holding onto the rope…as the barrel pulled them towards the waterfall.

When the dwarves realized that they were about to go over, they tried to swim and pull the barrel to shore, but it was too late.

Jari looked at Aragorn, who was now running along the shore. "Help?" the dwarf squeaked, just before going over the falls…brother, barrel, and all.

Aragorn ran down the hill as fast as he could, praying that Legolas and the foolish dwarves had survived. When he reached the bottom, he found the dwarves pulling a very cracked barrel to shore. They were both coughing and wincing, but their main focus was the elf still within the barrel.

"Open it!" Aragorn shouted, while they were still in the lake. "He may be drowning!" _If he is still alive…_

The dwarves looked at the barrel, realizing that the way Legolas was squished in there, his head might indeed be under water.

Aragorn jumped into the lake and helped them yank the rope off, before removing the cover and pulling the elf out.

Legolas was limp and unresponsive, his eyes closed.

The sight of his obviously injured friend sent fear stabbing through Aragorn's heart, and he quickly pulled the elf to shore and laid him on the grass, checking for a pulse. He found it and closed his eyes, hanging his head with relief.

"No!" Bari exclaimed, misinterpreting Aragorn's action. "He cannot be dead!"

Aragorn looked at him as he began examining the elf. "He lives."

Both dwarves sighed with relief, dropping to sit on the ground.

Aragorn listened to his friend's lungs, hearing some water within. He quickly checked his friend for broken bones, before grabbing the elf and carefully rolling him onto his right side. "Fetch me some tree branches," he told the dwarves.

Jari and Bari both winced at the realization that the elf had obviously obtained a broken bone. They obeyed, rushing into the woods.

Aragorn felt along his friend's back, ensuring that there was no damage before he firmly slapped it.

Legolas immediately woke, coughing on water.

"You are safe, mellon-nin," Aragorn said, pushing hair out of the elf's face. "You are safe now."

Legolas opened his eyes for a second, closing them again as he continued coughing.

The dwarves ran out of the woods, their arms overflowing with sticks. They left a trail of fallen ones as they ran, and they dumped them all in Aragorn's lap before throwing themselves beside Legolas.

"Forgive us!" Bari yelled. "Please forgive us, Legolas!"

"It was meant as a jest!" Jari said. "We did not know that the rope would break!"

Legolas, wincing openly at the pain that filled his body, didn't quite understand the dwarves. "What?" he asked.

"Not now!" Aragorn told them. "Fetch me my healing bag!"

Jari rose to obey, taking the bag off Aragorn's horse and dragging it over.

The human gently rolled Legolas onto his back again, gently picking up the elf's right arm.

Legolas closed his eyes, biting his lip to stop a cry of pain from passing his lips. It was obvious that his arm was broken, and he wasn't surprised at all that it was the one that had been twisted behind himself.

"Legolas?" said Aragorn, feeling the break and preparing to set it. "Did this happen from the waterfall, or sometime sooner?"

"Waterfall," Legolas replied, eyes still closed.

Aragorn was relieved that it wasn't an 'old' injury, and he pulled on the elf's arm and twisted it slightly to put it back in its proper place.

Legolas was unable to hold in a cry of pain that time; it was magnified by the excruciating pain of the cramped muscles and it stole the breath from his lungs, forcing him to gasp.

Aragorn shot worried looks at his friend as he splinted the arm and wrapped it. It frightened him to see that Legolas hadn't moved any part of his body in all this time. "Do you have any numbness?" he asked, nervously praying that the elf's back or neck hadn't been injured. "Can you feel all of your limbs?"

_Can I feel my limbs…ai, I wish that I could not! _Legolas thought. "Yes…unfortunately."

Aragorn realized the problem, and he checked the elf for broken bones again now that he was awake and could speak. "Where is the worst of your pain?"

The dwarves watched anxiously, looking extremely upset over what they had caused.

Legolas sighed, assessing himself. "Head and arm. The rest are mere bruises."

Aragorn felt his friend's ribs, making the elf flinch. "_Mere_ bruises?"

Legolas gave no reply, blinking his eyes.

Aragorn reached over and gently turned the elf's head, looking into his eyes. The pupils were dilated, and he gently probed the darkening bruise on his friend's forehead, making sure that his skull wasn't fractured. "Is your vision blurred?"

"A little," Legolas admitted, wincing at his friend's touch.

Aragorn felt the rest of the elf's skull, finding a lump on the back. _I knew he hit his head when they dropped him out the window… _"Are you nauseated?"

"Only slightly," Legolas answered, eyes closed again.

Aragorn took a canteen out of his healing bag and poured some into a cup, dropping three different leaves in. "Here," he said, sliding an arm under his friend and sitting him up high enough to drink.

Legolas winced from the movement, obediently drinking the herbs.

After the elf finished, Aragorn put the cup down, still holding Legolas up. "Do you think that you can walk?" he asked. "Can you move your limbs?"

Legolas really didn't want to try, and he despised the dwarves witnessing his obvious weakness. He was able to move his unbroken arm, but his legs had been folded so awkwardly in the barrel that they were throbbing unmercifully.

"Why can't he move!" Bari exclaimed; panicked at seeing the terrible effects of what they'd done to the poor elf.

Aragorn shot them an exasperated look. "Does he really look as if he _fit_ in that barrel?"

The dwarves looked even more upset at themselves.

"Come, mellon-nin," said Aragorn. "Let's get you back to Lake Town." He slid his other arm under the elf's knees and carried him over to his horse.

Legolas submitted, having no choice.

The human commanded both steeds to kneel, and he mounted, watching the dwarves do the same.

Legolas sighed with relief as they galloped off, and he fell asleep without even realizing that his friend had given him a sleeping herb.

TBC  
:)


	4. Ow

Hey everyone! I'm sure you all saw that this website had problems yesterday, so I was unable to post. Here it is now, though, so enjoy! Only one chapter left after this one, but never fear, there are more to come!

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When Aragorn and the dwarves arrived back at the Inn, they got many curious stares—the dwarves both looked bedraggled, and when the people saw the unconscious elf, a few of them asked if they needed help.

Aragorn refused, thanking them for their concern as he entered the Inn and brought Legolas up to his room. Gently laying the elf down, he removed Legolas' wet shirt and frowned at the bruises adorning his torso. He carefully rolled his friend onto his side, to find that his back was bruised just as badly. He sighed and looked at the dwarves, wanting to ensure that they saw the damage that they'd inflicted on the Mirkwood Prince.

Jari and Bari both echoed the sigh, not meeting Aragorn's eyes.

The human changed Legolas into nightclothes, finding that bruises covered most of his body. Legolas was lucky that only his arm had been broken, but there was no real way for Aragorn to be sure if any of his bones had hairline fractures.

The dwarves pulled chairs up beside the bed and awaited the elf's awakening, desperate to apologize.

It wasn't until evening when Legolas woke, and he blinked his eyes open with a groan. A hand touched his right arm, and a voice said, "Do not move, Legolas."

The elf looked at Aragorn, who smiled. Legolas said nothing at first, blinking his eyes and looking around the room. "I am no longer inside the barrel!" he exclaimed.

Aragorn shook his head.

Legolas sighed with relief, closing his eyes. "_How_ did I get inside it? Who did that to me?"

A new voice spoke, and Legolas turned his head towards it.

"We…ah…put you in it," said Jari.

Legolas blinked at the dwarves, frowning. He seemed speechless.

"It was done in jest!" Bari told him. "We returned to the lake at dawn to let you out, but found that the rope had broken!"

"Rope?" Legolas echoed, finding his voice.

"The rope that tied the barrel to a tree."

Legolas stared at them, completely shocked. "You put me inside a barrel, tied it to a tree, and left it _floating_?"

The dwarves nodded.

Legolas glared at the dwarves, making them squirm. "You have not yet told me why."

"O-our father was one of the dwarves that were imprisoned by your father all those years ago," said Bari, nervously.

"He and the others with him escaped in barrels," Jari said.

Legolas' angry expression changed. "And this was your way of getting revenge?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"No! Not revenge," said Jari. "We have no anger for what happened, and neither does our father. It was a jest. We came to let you out a few hours later, but the barrel was gone!"

Legolas stared at them silently for a minute, before closing his eyes with a sigh. "You win, Aragorn."

The human blinked, not understanding the sudden odd statement. "What?"

"Do you not recall?" Legolas asked, smiling slightly. "Last year, the twins were recollecting old times when we'd almost gotten killed for ridiculous reasons. I jested that it probably would not be long before it happened again—since we get into so much trouble!—and you said that it happens to me most and if it occurred again, I would surely be the unfortunate victim."

"Ah, yes!" Aragorn said. "I remember indeed, and I must say that I am not surprised at all!"

Legolas rolled his eyes.

The human smiled slightly as he walked over to the table of herbs, leaving the dwarves 'alone' with the elf.

"How long was I in the barrel?" Legolas asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Ah…" said Jari, nervously. "About...ah...fifteen or sixteen hours."

Legolas' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He blinked his eyes and shook his head, looking away from them.

The dwarves looked at the floor, sighing in unison.

"How do you feel?" Jari asked, awkwardly.

Legolas almost said 'fine', out of habit, but he decided to tell the truth, hoping that it would teach them a lesson. "I feel as if I went over a waterfall in a barrel."

Aragorn hadn't expected that answer, and he unintentionally snorted, attempting to cover it up by clearing his throat.

"Is the pain very bad?" Bari asked, sounding sad.

"In some places," Legolas admitted.

The dwarves were quiet after that, not knowing what else to say.

"This will help," said Aragorn, returning with a cup. He helped Legolas sit up, carefully trying to not cause more pain to his terrible bruises.

Legolas drank it, nearly inhaling the first sip when his back vehemently protested Aragorn's touch. The amount of pain surprised him, and he realized that he was very lucky to have not broken his back.

Aragorn saw what happened and pulled the cup away before Legolas could choke. He fed it to the elf slowly, laying him down again as gently as possible.

Legolas took a deep breath, wincing. He was in more pain now than he'd been in when he got out of the barrel, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to get out of bed for the next few days; until the invisible oliphaunt decided to get off him.

"We are so very sorry!" Jari exclaimed, as he and his brother watched the elf's face pale even more than it was already.

Legolas made no reply, unable to as the herbs sent him into welcome sleep.

TBC :)


	5. Justice is Served

When Legolas woke the next morning, he felt a little better, thanks to his amazing elven healing ability. He found the dwarves still in his room, asleep in their chairs.

Aragorn smiled at him and gave him more painkilling herbs. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

Legolas thought for a second. "Aye."

"Good," said Aragorn. "Because I would have made you eat even it you were not."

Legolas smiled back. "No doubt."

One of the dwarves gave a sudden loud snore.

Legolas looked at them. "They are worse pranksters than your brothers."

Aragorn shook his head. "I agree. Elladan and Elrohir would have never done something so dangerous." He paused. "Or, at least, they would have ensured that the rope would not break!"

Legolas chuckled, but stopped with a wince.

"Easy," said Aragorn, putting a hand on the elf's unbroken arm. "Be still."

Legolas sighed, closing his eyes for a minute before reopening them.

"They went over it too," Aragorn suddenly said, sitting on the side of the bed.

"What?" Legolas asked, not understanding.

"Jari and Bari jumped into the lake to save you," Aragorn explained. "They grabbed the rope, and got swept over the waterfall with you."

Legolas' eyes widened and he stared at Aragorn in shock.

"You should have seen their faces!" Aragorn said, unable to hold in a chuckle.

That did it for Legolas. Pain or no pain, he laughed…and laughed.

Both dwarves were startled awake and they blinked at the laughing elf, who was wincing in-between.

"What happened!" Jari exclaimed, worried.

"Nothing," Aragorn said, trying to hush the elf, knowing that Legolas was hurting himself. "I…told him an amusing story when I should not have."

Legolas tried to stop laughing, trying to get the mental image of the dwarves going over the waterfall out of his mind. _Justice has been served! _he thought.

"Why don't you go downstairs and bring up breakfast?" Aragorn said.

The dwarves nodded and left to comply, throwing odd looks at the still-laughing Legolas.

"Ow," the elf groaned, breathing heavily with his eyes closed. His head was throbbing in time with his heart and his entire body ached, but he gave a chuckle here and there, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

The dwarves quickly came back with enough food for ten people. They made themselves the elf's slaves, trying to make amends for the terrible thing that they had done to him.

A few days later, Legolas felt well enough to eat supper in the dining room, and when Aragorn came to inquire what he wanted to eat, he found his friend dressing.

"Are you sure that you do not want me to bring it to you here?" Aragorn asked, eyeing the still visible bruises on his friend's torso as he helped the elf with his tunic.

"I am sure," Legolas said. "My body is stiff, but I am tired of staying in this room."

Aragorn nodded, gently fixing the sling on Legolas' arm. "All right."

As they left the room and descended the stairs, Legolas' stiffness was quite obvious to Aragorn, who slowed his pace. They entered the dining room and sat at an empty table, Legolas much more gingerly than usual. He inwardly sighed with relief to be sitting, and looked at Aragorn to see the human glancing around the room.

"Where are the dwarves?" he asked.

Legolas tried to hide a smile. "They will not be joining us."

"No?"

Legolas shook his head. "They are both sleeping. I suspect that we will not see them until tomorrow."

Aragorn nodded. "Stay here, I will get our food."

"All right."

Aragorn left the table, and Legolas had to cover his mouth to hide the smile that he couldn't prevent.

Meanwhile, deep in the cellar of the inn, two barrels sat in a corner. Their contents read 'beans' and 'nuts', but the odd sound of loud snoring emitted from both…

THE END  
LOL! Legolas got his revenge! ;) Thanks for all the reviews! Here's a preview for my next story, 'Betrayed', which will be posted after a 'Misfortunes of an Elf' snippet, as usual:

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_A__ragorn began to notice something amiss with his friend as they walked through the gardens. Legolas was walking delicately, as if there was pain within his body. When he looked at his friend to ask what was wrong, he was shocked to see a sheen of sweat on the elf's face, which looked paler than usual. "Legolas!" he exclaimed. "What is wrong?" _

_Legolas blinked and shook his head. "I do not know," he said, sounding confused. "For some reason…I do not feel well." _

_A statement like that coming from Legolas, of all people, was extremely significant. _

_Aragorn grabbed his friend's arms and looked at him. "Have you some wound that I do not know about?" _

_"No," said the elf, shaking his head again. He gave a shaky sigh; his posture slumped as he wrapped an arm around his midsection. "Aragorn…" he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I…I need to sit down…" _

_If someone had told the King that Gondor was under attack, he would not have been more scared than he was right now. 'Elves do not get ill!' he thought. _

_Wordlessly, he quickly pulled Legolas towards a nearby bench and sat him down, where the elf gave a soft groan and hunched over his stomach. _

_"What did you eat today?" Aragorn asked, sitting beside his friend and holding onto him tightly. _

_"Nothing that I…never ate…before," Legolas answered, his breath coming faster. He suddenly closed his eyes and hunched over further. _

_"Are you about to be ill?" Aragorn asked, nervously. _

_Legolas shook his head, eyes still closed. "No…it is not like that. It is simply…pain." He gasped, letting his head hang. _

_"Can you walk?" Aragorn asked, alarmed at how fast his friend was deteriorating. _

_To his shock, Legolas shook his head. _

_His heart hammering with fear, Aragorn quickly stood and slid one arm around Legolas' back and the other under the elf's knees, lifting him from the bench and hurrying back into the palace. He passed many guards on the way, alarming them all who thought that the Prince of Mirkwood had been attacked. Despite their questions, Aragorn didn't answer them as he ran to the palace's House of Healing.  
_

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Howcome all my previews are cliffhangers? ROTFL! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to tell me what you thought about A Debt Repaid's ending! ;)


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